Beijing has about 100 cubic meters of water available per person, well below the U.N. standard of 1, 000 cubic meters per person, a threshold used to measure chronic water shortage.

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Finally, a new regulation on Water Resources Utilization will limit the annual consumption of water to 635 billion cubic meters by 2015, further increasing the need for water recycling facilities.

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Without efficiency gains, agricultural water demand is expected to grow by 45 percent or an additional annual 1, 400 billion cubic meters of water per year by 2030.

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Most courses require at least 6, 500 cubic meters of water daily -- "that's equivalent to the water needs of 6, 000 Metro Manila residents, " says Flavier.

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According to April 12 OPSIS data, the water level of the Guri dam dropped only 4 centimeters (about 1.6 inches) over the past 24 hours while the water intake increased by 723 cubic meters per second over the same period.

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Since January 2012, UNESCO has been working in the drought-affected countries in the Horn of Africa to identify and to map groundwater resources for an aquifer that will provide at least 200, 000 cubic meters of renewable water every year.

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April 11 data showed only a 7-centimeter drop in the Guri water level and an even bigger increase in water intake 1, 035 cubic meters per second over a one-day period.

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Officials say the move should save 10 million cubic meters (2.64 billion gallons) of water in that time.

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That year a new manager took over and instituted a tiered system of payment: If your household consumption was not more than 7.5 cubic meters per month (this would take care of water required for drinking, cooking and some hygienic needs of an average family of eight), you paid a subsidized rate, but if your monthly consumption was more, you paid a market rate.

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